CHANDIGARH: In a rare case in Punjab, the owner of a Pitbull has been arrested by the Punjab Police for allegedly using the dog, known for its keen sense of smell and strong muscular build, to illegally hunt porcupines, a protected animal species. The arrest followed the intervention of animal rights activist and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi.
Pitbulls have been bred and used for hunting for centuries, with many hunters across the world preferring this breed as a skilled hunting companion.
After Maneka Gandhi intervened and sent an e-mail to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Punjab, Ajay Kumar of Jansua village in Rajpura was arrested by the state police. Two of his dogs, both of the boxer breed, were also taken into custody.
Sources said Kumar was allegedly rearing Pitbulls specifically for the illegal hunting of protected animal species and had uploaded videos of the activity on social media to gain more views and promote the act.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, Dharminder Sharma said such wildlife act violations will not be tolerated. “Strict action will be taken against the alleged accused in the future, as field officers have been given clear instructions in this regard,” he said.
Porcupines, listed under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are protected species, and hunting or killing them is a punishable offence. “Porcupine is hunted rampantly for its meat and in addition, its bones and sharp quills are used for medicinal purposes, as they use their quills to protect themselves from predators,” Sharma said.
He added, “A complaint via e-mail along with a pen drive was received from Maneka Gandhi’s office, showing the Instagram account of the accused in which he is allegedly seen using his dogs to hunt a porcupine.”
“In the past, dogs have also been used in rabbit races by people conducting illegal races,” Sharma added.
A case has been registered under Sections 9, 39, and 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2022) at Sadar Rajpura police station. The accused, Ajay Kumar, has been arrested for allegedly training and using Pitbulls to hunt wild animals, including porcupines.
“We apprehend that the accused got to know about the police raid and managed to shift his dogs to another safer location. We will try to trace the dogs and also question him. Besides, people who bought porcupine meat will be identified, and strict action as per law will be taken against them,” said a senior police official.
Patiala Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife), Guramanpreet Singh, said, “The videos of the Pitbulls posted by the accused were later deleted by him. We are trying to find out if he has been involved in hunting more animals and if he has been supplying the meat and other animal parts to others.”
“As soon as the e-mail was received, our team got into action and the alleged accused Kumar was identified. Police were then approached to arrest him,” Singh added.